#Chapter 9: Crocdile Tears

  Maeve POV   That was all I’d ever be to them—always the villain in their story. I was the one who destroyed their happy, peaceful lives. They never held a scrap of respect for me, no matter what I did for them, no matter how desperately I tried to please them… so what did it matter if I obeyed them or not? Any guilt or dread I'd struggled with vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by a burning desire for payback. I was done letting them toy with my life, my decisions, my emotions—all of it. This was my chance to seize control for myself. And I wanted them to know what it was like to suffer… even just for a moment. Setting my jaw and clenching my fists, I turned and looked at Victoria dead in the eye for perhaps the first time in my life. “And what if that’s what I want?” I dared, feeling a rush of adrenaline and, simultaneously, cold detachment from the people in front of me, and the haughty expression on her face fell. “Maybe I want her to be locked up.” Father let out a strang